Warning: This is not an easy read, I mention a lot of heavy topics that are not going to brighten your day, and will probably depress it.

Our first day in Berlin we hit the ground running… well, walking. Â We love the Sandeman’s New Europe free walking tours and can’t recommend them enough. Â Our guide had majored in European history and minored in communism so she was really well informed and full of cool stories. She took us to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which was a replica of the Jewish cemetery we had seen in Prague – interesting, but very sobering. Â We also stood on top of the filled in bunker where Hitler had committed suicide. Â It started raining while we were standing there, slightly eerily. Berlin is filled with monuments and historical points dotting the city that are remnants of WW1, WW2 and the Cold War, but the city contrasts with itself by lining the streets with expensive stores and a materialistic atmosphere, like it’s trying hard to cover up the past.